Adverse Psychiatric and Health Impacts of Restrictive Housing for Adolescents in Juvenile Correctional Settings

Abstract

The use of solitary confinement for incarcerated adolescents has been criticized widely, including by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.^1-3 Currently, 29 states prohibit the use of punitive solitary confinement in juvenile correctional facilities, and 15 others place time limits on solitary confinement of juveniles.⁴ However, the use of "restrictive housing," which is broadly defined as an intervention involving removal from the general inmate population, placement in a locked room, or inability to leave the room for the majority of the day, is still commonly practiced. Limited research and guidance exists around this practice and its health impacts on incarcerated adolescents, especially mental health and suicide risk.